Countdown to Creative Writing: Step by Step Approach to Writing Techniques for 7-12 Years

204 Pages·2008·3.7 MB·English

by  Stephen Bowkett

Countdown to
Creative Writing
This guide provides all the support you need in helping pupils to improve their prose
writing. Countdown to Creative Writing is a comprehensive and flexible resource
that you can use in different ways:
(cid:1) Stand-alone modules that cover all the essential aspects of writing a story;
(cid:1) Photocopiable activity sheets for each module that show how to make the
decisions and solve the problems that all writers face along the road from first
idea to finished piece of work;
(cid:1) Teachers’ notes with tips and guidance including how modules could be used
as stand-alone units, but also with suggestions for useful links between
modules, and curriculum links;
(cid:1) A self-study component so that children can make their own progress through
the materials, giving young writers a sense of independence in thinking about
their work;
(cid:1) Countdown flowcharts providing an overview showing how modules are linked
and how teachers can progress through them with the children;
(cid:1) ‘Headers’ for each module showing where along the ‘countdown path’ you are
at that point.
In short Countdown to Creative Writing saves valuable planning time and gives you
all the flexibility you need – teachers might want to utilise either the self-study or
‘countdown’ aspects of the book, or simply dip into it for individual lesson activities
to fit in with their own programmes of work.
A former teacher, Steve Bowkett is now a full-time writer, storyteller, educational
consultant and hypnotherapist. He is the author of more than forty books, including
Jumpstart! Creativity and Imagine That.
Developing pupils’ writing abilities boosts their confidence, creates
enjoyment and relevance in the task and cultivates a range of decision-
making and problem-solving skills that can then be applied across the
curriculum. The Countdown series provides all the support you need in
helping pupils to improve their prose, poetry and non-fiction writing.
Forthcoming titles in the series
Countdown to Poetry Writing
Steve Bowkett
978–0–415–47752–9
C
ountdown
to
C
reative
W
riting
Step by step approach
to writing techniques
for 7–12 years
Steve Bowkett
First published 2009
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 2009 Steve Bowkett
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bowkett, Steve.
Countdown to creative writing: step by step approach to writing
techniques for 7–12 years/Steve Bowkett.
p. cm.
1. English language–Composition and exercises–Study and teaching
(Elementary) 2. Creative writing (Elementary education) I. Title.
LB1576.B536 2008
372.62′3044–dc22 2008018740
ISBN 0-203-86894-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–46855–8 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–46855–8 (pbk)
Contents
Overview – How to use the book 1
Module
60 Getting started ..........................................................................................................................3
59 A few tips ....................................................................................................................................7
58 Good writing habits .............................................................................................................10
57 A writer's rights......................................................................................................................13
56 What is a story? .....................................................................................................................15
55 Having ideas ............................................................................................................................16
54 Ideas for a reason..................................................................................................................20
53 Plot bank ...................................................................................................................................24
52 Plot, characters and background ...................................................................................27
51 Inspiration .................................................................................................................................31
50 All of your senses ..................................................................................................................33
49 Metaphors ................................................................................................................................35
48 ‘Sounds as it says’ .................................................................................................................39
47 The structure of a story ......................................................................................................43
46 Forms...........................................................................................................................................46
45 Diary ............................................................................................................................................49
44 Play format ...............................................................................................................................51
43 Letters, texts and other ideas ..........................................................................................56
42 Basic narrative elements.....................................................................................................59
41 Sub-elements...........................................................................................................................62
40 Tips on planning ....................................................................................................................67
39 The six big important questions .....................................................................................70
38 Narrative lines .........................................................................................................................75
37 Genre ..........................................................................................................................................80
36 Fantasy .......................................................................................................................................87
35 Science fiction .........................................................................................................................92
34 Horror .........................................................................................................................................96
33 Crime/thriller .........................................................................................................................100
32 Romance .................................................................................................................................105
31 Animal adventures .............................................................................................................109
v
COUNTDOWN TO CREATIVE WRITING CONTENTS
30 Further ideas for genre ....................................................................................................111
29 Audience and purpose.....................................................................................................113
28 Characters ..............................................................................................................................116
27 Names ......................................................................................................................................119
26 SF and fantasy names.......................................................................................................121
25 Picture a person...................................................................................................................123
24 A bagful of games .............................................................................................................125
23 Character ticklist .................................................................................................................127
22 Personality profile ...............................................................................................................129
21 Settings....................................................................................................................................130
20 Visualizations ........................................................................................................................134
19 Map making..........................................................................................................................138
18 Place names...........................................................................................................................141
17 Titles..........................................................................................................................................143
16 Word grid ...............................................................................................................................145
15 Mix and match.....................................................................................................................146
14–10 Getting ready to write: part 1................................................................................148
14 Timespan ................................................................................................................................150
13 Pace...........................................................................................................................................153
12 Flashbacks ..............................................................................................................................156
11 Story arcs ................................................................................................................................158
10 Story path...............................................................................................................................160
9–4 Getting ready to write: part 2................................................................................163
9 Length of story.....................................................................................................................165
8 Economy of language ......................................................................................................168
7 Connectives...........................................................................................................................170
6 Person ......................................................................................................................................174
5 Style...........................................................................................................................................179
4 Strong start and finish......................................................................................................182
3 Presentation ..........................................................................................................................185
2 A writer's responsibilities ................................................................................................188
1 In the mood for writing ...................................................................................................189
Review ....................................................................................................................................................191
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................193
Index ............................................................................................................................................................195
vi
COUNTDOWN TO CREATIVE WRITING CONTENTS
Overview – How to use
the book
This book has been designed as a practical resource to help upper KS2 and lower
KS3 pupils master the complex network of skills that contribute to what is
commonly called ‘creative writing’, with the emphasis on prose fiction. The modules
lead pupils through the process from how to generate first ideas to a polished draft
piece of work and beyond.
The modules can be used as stand-alone units that the teacher may use within
existing programmes of work, or be combined to form short topics on different
aspects of creative writing – genre, characters, settings and so on. However, the
activities are arranged such that pupils can also learn more independently by
making their own decisions about what they need to know and therefore how to
proceed from unit to unit. This ‘choose your own adventure’ format means that
more confident and/or experienced writers can bypass modules that are not relevant
or that would simply duplicate thinking they have already done. On the other hand,
less experienced writers will benefit from the more highly scaffolded process of
exploring the elements of writing at a more basic level, or in greater detail as
appropriate.
Teacher’s notes support most of the modules and offer tips on how you may best
advise a pupil who feels stuck at any point. The notes also give suggestions on ways
in which the activities can be extended and linked. A creative thinking approach to
developing writing is encouraged throughout. As such the teacher’s notes explain
the ‘thinking skills agenda’ that underpins the modules and highlights the fact that
as pupils become more effective thinkers in the context of writing, so those skills are
transferred to other areas of the curriculum. In this regard creative writing is seen
not just as one aspect of English or literacy, but as a vehicle for developing pupils’
ability to ‘learn how to learn’ across the school subject range.
Teachers can plan their use of the modules, and pupils can track their own
progress, by referring to the flowchart on page 4. This places a pupil’s current task
within the context of the broader writing process. Most of the activities are
photocopiable, but to increase the usefulness of the resource some extra material is
also accessible online at www.routledge.com/professional/9780415468558. Thus a
teacher or pupil can click on a link to download and if required print off a copy of
any activity. This helps to personalise the learning and will save the teacher the time
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COUNTDOWN TO CREATIVE WRITING OVERVIEW – HOW TO USE THE BOOK
and trouble of extensive photocopying as pupils can be accessing many different
activities simultaneously.
An added benefit of the flowchart is that it acts as a visual organiser of the route
an author takes in thinking through a project, so that pupils gain an overview of
what is involved in writing a story as well as exploring specific threads of that
greater tapestry.
The thinking skills agenda
Writing and thinking feed each other. Every writer’s challenge is to reach for the
words that express the thoughts going on inside his or her head. Teaching the craft
of writing is most powerful when pupils are also taught to think more effectively. By
the same token, thinking skills themselves can be developed by teaching writing.
In many books on thinking the distinction is made between creative and critical
thinking skills. Basically creative thinking is defined as ‘imaginative’ thinking leading
to new ideas through a synthesis of thoughts, while critical thinking is more
analytical and looks for the reasoning behind structures of thought. Practically
speaking, the act of writing uses both creative and critical thinking continuously.
This is not the same thing as a pupil trying to analyse or otherwise judge and
evaluate ideas and words as they emerge. One of the great inhibitors to fluent
writing (i.e. an organic flow of ideas) is trying to edit sentences while they are being
constructed. This is especially true during the earlier stages as ideas are being first
formed and linked. In other words, if a pupil is trying to express an idea but is also
worrying about where to place an apostrophe, the act of expression is likely to be
stunted. Neatness and accuracy are important for clarity of course, but good practice
in teaching writing does not insist on pupils trying to do everything at once.
Countdown to Creative Writing explains the thinking processes that build towards
polished pieces of writing. It explores one methodology among many that are
possible. As Somerset Maugham advised, there are three golden rules to good
writing – and nobody knows what they are. A strategy that works well for one
writer might leave another author cold. Having said that, the book assumes that
more basic decisions such as whether a story will be Science Fiction or Romance,
humorous or serious, are likely to be made early on in a pupil’s thinking about the
work. If that is not the case – for instance if a pupil has a great idea for a character
first – then those ideas can be developed at the outset before other decisions are
made. The modules in this book give advice and offer practical techniques on many
aspects of writing. In using the units flexibly you will be modelling an important
feature of the creative process – that if one tool isn’t doing the job then look for or
invent another tool that will.
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COUNTDOWN TO CREATIVE WRITING OVERVIEW – HOW TO USE THE BOOK
(cid:1)
FOR THE TEACHER
M
o
d
u
6 l
e
0
Getting started
How to use the flowchart
The flowchart on page 4 gives an overview of the thinking a pupil might do in
preparation for a first draft piece of writing. The boxes in bold show the basic
steps to be taken, with different activities attached to support the decisions that
need to be made and the techniques that need to be mastered. The modules can
be used singly or in combination (decided upon by the teacher and/or the pupil).
It is not likely that many pupils will want or need to look at all the modules.
It’s also important to realise that while the flowchart leads towards a first draft,
that is not the only outcome; lots of writing will take place as pupils tackle the
different modules.
Useful classroom tips
In guiding pupils in the use of the modules, you might find these basic points
useful:
(cid:1) The competitive ethos usually inhibits creative flow. If a pupil is concerned about
whether his work is as good as his neighbour’s, he is less likely to produce his
best writing or enjoy the process as much. In other words, intending to do one’s
best is not the same as trying to be better than other people.
(cid:1) A positive and supportive approach works better than a critical and corrective
one. A well-known and effective strategy is called 3PPI – offer three points of
praise then one insight for improvement. Psychologically when a teacher notices
three good things about a pupil’s work he is more readily convinced that he’s
done well, and is then ‘cushioned’ to accept the suggestion for an area where
improvement is needed.
(cid:1) Modelling the attitude that you want to cultivate in the pupils works
wonders. If they see you tackling some of the modules and having fun
writing, they are more likely to do so too. Also by working through the modules
yourself you experience the same problems, excitements and achievements
as the pupils. You are then more than a writer – you become an author
(see Review section).
(cid:1) In supporting pupils’ writing, bear in mind the Triangle of failure (Figure 1).
Often what seems to be a failure of capability is actually a failure of imagination
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COUNTDOWN TO CREATIVE WRITING GETTING STARTED